Marcus’s voice crackles in my earpiece. “Sir, the fire department’s three minutes out. You need to evacuate now.”
“Not without her.” I scan the haze-filled space, fighting the rising panic. The smoke has thickened, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.
“Sir…”
“I said no.” The words come out as a growl. Each second that passes without finding her feels like a knife twisting in my gut.
Movement catches my eye—a flash of pale skin through the smoke near the elevator. My heart stops.
Liv lies crumpled on the marble floor, one arm outstretched toward the elevator doors. She’s not moving.
“Eve!” I rush to her side, dropping to my knees beside her still form. My hands shake as I press my fingers to her throat, searching for a pulse. The steady thrum under my touch sends relief flooding through me.
“I found her.” My voice sounds foreign to my own ears, raw with something darker than fear. “She’s unconscious.”
Marcus says something else, but I barely hear him. All I can focus on is Eve’s face, peaceful in unconsciousness. The sight of her like this—vulnerable, completely at my mercy—awakens something possessive and primal in my chest.
I gather her into my arms, cradling her head against my shoulder. The urge to lock her away somewhere safe, somewhere she can never put herself in danger again, nearly overwhelms me.
Smoke stings my eyes as I carry her toward the exit. Each step feels like a victory and a revelation. She pushed meto this—forced my hand with her reckless determination to destroy herself. The thought sends equal parts terror and dark satisfaction through me.
“Status?” Marcus demands in my ear.
I tighten my grip on Eve’s limp form, shielding her face from the thickening smoke. “Getting her out. Have medical standing by.”
Her breath comes in shallow gasps against my neck as I navigate through the smoke-filled penthouse. Even unconscious, she fights against my protection. But this time, she doesn’t have a choice.
I cradle Liv against my chest as Marcus holds the service elevator doors. The descent feels endless, each floor ticking by too slowly while Liv remains unconscious in my arms. Her skin is cool, and her breathing is shallow.
“Sir, this is against protocol—” Marcus starts.
“I don’t give a damn about protocol.” My voice comes out raw from the smoke. “Status on the ground floor?”
“Emergency response is here. They’re evacuating the building.” Marcus’s phone chirps. “Chief Andrews wants a statement.”
“He can wait.”
The elevator doors open to chaos. Red and blue lights strobe through the lobby, casting harsh shadows across panicked faces. The acrid stench of smoke follows us out as evacuees crowd the exits.
“Over here!” An EMT waves us toward a waiting gurney. Every muscle in my body tenses as I lay Liv down, my hands lingering longer than necessary.
“What happened?” The EMT attaches monitors to Eve’s chest while her partner checks her vitals.
“Smoke inhalation. She was unconscious when I found her.”
“Sir, we need space to work.” The EMT tries to push me back, but I hold my ground.
“I’m not leaving her.”
“Remy.” Chief Andrews appears at my shoulder, his expression grim. “A word.”
“Not now.”
“Now.” He gestures to where the fire crew assembles near the entrance. “We need to discuss what triggered those alarms.”
My jaw clenches as I watch the EMTs work. Liv hasn’t stirred, her face pale against the stark white gurney. “Marcus, stay with her. If she wakes up—”
“I’ll alert you immediately.”
